SQM Case
Court absolves defendants in SQM case after 11-year process
Ana Torres Larawang ginawa ng AI
Santiago's Third Oral Criminal Court acquitted eight defendants in the SQM case by majority, including former senator Pablo Longueira and candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami, criticizing the process's length and the prosecution's evidence quality. The verdict highlights a violation of the right to a timely trial after 11 years of investigation and a three-year trial. The sentence will be delivered in August 2026, leaving room for a nullity appeal.
SQM case judge reveals personal costs of lengthy trial
Judge Claudia Santos, part of the tribunal that acquitted the accused in the SQM case, shared on Instagram the personal toll of the nearly three-year trial. The process, one of the longest since the penal reform, imposed significant costs on her health and family. A letter to the editor also criticizes the judiciary's role in the procedure's inefficiency.